Iran monitors enemies’ slightest move: Commander

A senior Iranian commander says Iran is capable of detecting the slightest move by enemies at distances upward of 3,000 km, emphasizing that the military capabilities of the Islamic Republic serve as a deterrent arm in face of potential threats.

Brigadier General Farzad Esmaili, the commander of Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base, made the comments in an address to worshippers at the weekly Friday Prayers in Tehran.

Esmaili said Iran has deployed its air defense units to some 3,700 locations across the country to convey a message of peace and security to regional and friendly states.

The Iranian commander said the move also aims to send a warning to extra-regional countries that Iran would firmly defend its national territory against any attempt to pose aerial threats.

He said Iran’s defense line is not only confined to geographical frontiers and spans the entire country given the increase in variety, speed and range of aerial weapons and the inclination of the enemy to destroy the infrastructure of the target country.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on September 1 instructed the Iranian Air Force defense forces to constantly upgrade their preparedness for repelling a variety of threats.

“Upgrade your preparedness and options constantly for countering all types of threats,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a meeting with top commanders and officials of the Khatam al-Anbiya Air Defense Base in Tehran.

In recent years, Iran has made great achievements in its defense sector and reached self-sufficiency in producing essential military equipment and systems.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly assured other countries, especially the regional neighbors, that its military might poses no threat to anyone. Iran says its defense doctrine is merely based on deterrence.